Character is an often overlooked aspect of leadership that shapes what leaders notice and how they interpret and react to information and events. Yet character is seldom used in recruiting, selecting, promoting, or developing leaders and that oversight has an impact on organizational leadership. For our inaugural Ivey Idea Forum in Calgary, Professor Gerard Seijts, Executive Director of the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership and co-author of the book, Developing Leadership Character, will lead an interactive discussion on findings in the book that illustrate how different character dimensions can be developed, strengthened, and applied in a business setting. A panel of leaders – Jeff Fielding, City Manager/Chief Administrative Officer, City of Calgary; Sarah Raiss, Corporate Director; and Andrew Wiswell, MBA '80, Independent Director and Consultant – will share their insights on the importance of leadership character, how it is developed, and how it helps leaders through challenges.
This event is part of Global Ivey Day and is the J.J. Wettlaufer Lecture in Leadership.
SOLD OUT!
REGISTRATION CLOSED
Event Details
J.J. Wettlaufer Lecture in Leadership
May 5, 2017
7:30-8 a.m. – Registration and breakfast
8-9 a.m. – Presentation from Gerard Seijts and panel session with business leaders
9-9:30 a.m. – Q&A
Location: Calgary Petroleum Club, 319 5 Ave SW, Calgary, AB
Tickets: $30 (non-alumni), $25 (alumni), $20 (current students)
This event is sold out and registration is closed.
Topics You Will Explore
- Why does leadership character matter?
- How can leadership character be used in recruiting, selecting, promoting, or developing current and future leaders?
- How does leadership character play a role in individual and organizational success?
About the Speakers
Jeff Fielding
As the City Manager/Chief Administrative Officer, Fielding is focused on bringing stability to the civic administration and instilling confidence and trust in the municipal workforce. He oversees all City departments and works closely with the Mayor and Council on matters of importance to the citizens of Calgary.
Fielding received graduate and undergraduate degrees in urban geography and urban planning from the University of Waterloo, and started his career as a planner with the Region of Waterloo in 1979. Since then, he has held various planning and managerial positions in governments across the country, including the Peace River Region, Edmonton Metropolitan Region, City of Winnipeg, and The City of Calgary.
After Calgary, Fielding served as the Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Kitchener before becoming City Manager with the City of London; a role which he held for nearly eight years. In London, he led a team that successfully built a sustainable and fiscally responsible public service business, and was recognized for his role in establishing a strong, supportive workplace culture. Most recently, he was City Manager for Burlington before rejoining The City of Calgary as City Manager in 2014.
Fielding’s leadership philosophy is simple: individual responsibility and collective accountability. He believes that no one ever fails or succeeds on his or her own, which he feels is especially true in the public service. Fielding maintains that every City of Calgary employee has a role to play in ensuring quality services are delivered to citizens and businesses within the community on a daily basis.
Sarah Raiss
Sarah Raiss is a Corporate Director of Loblaw Companies as member of the Governance and HR Committee as well as the Pension Committee; Commercial Metals as Chair of the Compensation Committee and member of the Nominations and Governance Committee; Ritchie Bros as chair of the Compensation Committee; and Vermilion Energy as member of the Governance and HR Committee and also the HSE Committee.
She is past Chair of Alberta Electric System Operator; and a past board director of Shoppers Drug Mart, Canadian Oil Sands as Chair of the Governance and HR Committee and member of the Audit Committee; Business Development Bank of Canada as Chair of the HR Committee and member of the Governance Committee and the Audit Committee; as well as past board member of numerous not-for-profit boards including President of the Calgary Petroleum Club.
From 2001 to 2011, she was Executive Vice-President of Corporate Services for TransCanada Corporation. Raiss brings experience in government relations, engineering, operations, strategy, merger integration, governance, and marketing from the energy and telecommunications industries.
She has a BS in Applied Mathematics and an MBA from the University of Michigan. She was named to the Directorship 100 by the National Association of Corporate Directors as one of the 50 most influential corporate directors in the U.S. in 2015. In the inaugural 2003 – and again in 2004, 2005, and 2006 – Raiss was named Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100, and in 2007, inducted into the Top 100 Hall of Fame. She has an ICD.D.
Andrew Wiswell, MBA '80
Andrew Wiswell is an independent director and consultant. Prior to his retirement from CEO work in 2012, Wiswell served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of NAL Energy Corporation. Throughout his career, he has held executive-level business and financial roles and directorships in public companies including: President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Parkland Income Fund; President of ICG Propane; Vice President Marketing and subsequently Senior Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Gulf Canada. Wiswell holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Manitoba and a Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Western Ontario, and is past-Chair of the Board of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers ("CAPP"). Wiswell received the Ivey leadership award in 2011 from the Calgary chapter for exceptional leadership in both industry and the community. He serves on the Boards of Directors of Total Energy Services Inc. and Mancal Corporation, a private family company and is involved with many non-profit organizations.
About the Moderator
Gerard Seijts
Gerard Seijts is a Professor of Organizational Behaviour, holds the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Chair in Leadership, and is Executive Director of the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership at the Ivey Business School. He is co-author of the books, Developing Leadership Character, and Leadership on Trial, and the author of Good Leaders Learn.
Seijts received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 1998. Prior to joining Ivey in 2000, he was on the faculty at the I.H. Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba.
He is teaching on several leadership programs. He has worked with organizations including Aecon, Intact Financial Corporation, OMERS, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Maple Leaf Foods, J.D. Irving Limited, Hutchison Ports, Cigna, A.S. Watson, and Bank of China Hong Kong. He has also worked with local government in Canada and Hong Kong on issues such as leadership and change. He has taught EMBA, MBA, and undergraduate courses in leadership, leading change, organizational behaviour, performance management, and staffing.
His research activities; spanning journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers; cover a wide range of topics including leadership, change, goal setting, training and development, teams, organizational justice, and performance management. He also enjoys writing practitioner-oriented articles.
About the J.J. Wettlaufer Lecture in Leadership
This lecture series was established to express our profound appreciation and to pay tribute to (Jack J.) J.J Wettlaufer, a long-time faculty member who played a pivotal role in shaping the School. Jack was a faculty member for more than 40 years, was dean from 1963 to 1978, and helped develop the School’s first executive programs. He died in 1992, and the former executive development centre in Mississauga was named in his honour.